A Capital Experience

“You get to see a really big host of characters. Sometimes you’d sit next to someone with three Ph.D.s and sometimes you sit next to an up-and-coming rap artist”.

What if you could live and explore in Washington, D.C. while getting class credit for it?

Last week I had the privilege of interviewing Cassidy Davis, a junior from Wellington, Texas, who participated in LCU’s Washington D.C. program. While there, she worked with 826 D.C., a nonprofit that helps underprivileged children write and publish their own stories.

Cassidy explained the internship application process with The Washington Center. Students work with a representative who helps assess students’ interests so they can be placed for the most fulfilling experience.

As an English major (creative writing emphasis, professional writing minor), Cassidy thought the Washington, D.C. program could be a great networking opportunity. But she realized that no matter what major you’re in, Washington D.C. is a great place to get connected to people who work in almost any field.

Cassidy said that once she committed to the program, the process was really simple.

“LCU staff were super-supportive as far as getting everything you need. Dr. Patty is great about scholarships for it, which made it affordable.”

Budgeting

Cassidy said one important money concern is transportation. In her work with 826 D.C., she had to travel to underprivileged schools to work with children who don’t get a lot of one-on-one attention. She didn’t plan on having that much of a travel cost. But riding the metro, buses, and trains was required to get to the schools. Using urban transportation is a new experience for some people, and budgeting to pay for it is important in an opportunity like this.

When asked if there was anything she wished she had known before going to Washington for an entire semester, Cassidy replied very practically: “You’re not 100 percent doing the internship all the time, so that leaves a lot of time to do whatever you want. Knowing that would have helped budgeting for sure.”

Accommodations and experiences

Cassidy said The Washington Center does an excellent job of having everything ready for students to have an amazing semester. The center provides housing, and students can request a private room in an apartment or share a room, but there is never more than four people in a living space.

“It’s a really big melting pot,” Cassidy said. Her roommate was an environmental law graduate student. “You get to see a really big host of characters. Sometimes you’d sit next to someone with three Ph.D.s and sometimes you sit next to an up-and-coming rap artist.”

There are also a lot of LCU alumni in the D.C. area, and Cassidy’s friend group went to church with them. One LCU graduate took them on a private day trip and tour to Gettysburg and for dinner to talk about how their experiences were going so far.

“Being so far away from everything that’s familiar with so many opportunities that you would never get otherwise is wonderful,” she said. “It costs the same as a semester at LCU. If you have that desire, go for it.”